QBP: Banana Feather Loaf, #68, P.271

Posted on August 8, 2011 by FinnKidd

Two Breads in one week, amazing. The Quest for Bread continues. Didn’t think that I could do that much but with careful timing and a fridge you can get it done. This bread is designed to be much softer than your typical banana type bread. Not that very chewy, dessert-like snacks with loads of cinnamon. Not that’s there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just not this bread.

I used the ultimate flavor technique on this sponge meaning that it was allowed to ferment at room temperature for about an hour and then was placed into the fridge for 8-24 more. This stresses the yeast and give it great flavor.

The other this I learned during this bread QBP is to remember to add the salt. Salt does two important functions in bread making. It adds saltiness that balances a loaf out so it doesn’t taste flat. It also inhibits the over fermentation of the bread yeast. I figured out that I forgot the salt when my loaves that were supposed to take two hours to rise only took 45 minutes. I knew it was in trouble but proceeded to the completion of the bread anyways.

One of the best parts of making this bread was the mixing of the banana into the dough. The banana fragrance just filled the kitchen and the dough became a nice, very light yellow color. Made we want the finished bread now.

Because of time constraints and the mess up with the lack of salt. I was forced to put the rising bread in the pan into the fridge to stall the yeast a bit. It definitely slowed them down but the yeast didn’t finish raising the bread to the full level that the recipe called for.

I will have to make this Bread again but add the salt next time. I’ve been using this attempt for Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches. It’s a nice subtle banana flavor but I do add some rock salt under the peanut butter before I spread it to keep the flavors balanced.

BL01
Getting ready for the starter sponge
BL02
Sponge Mixed and in the bowl.

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Dough mixed with starter and rising in a bowl

BL04
Fully risen in bowl after only 1.5 hrs. I knew something was wrong with that.

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Finished bread, with great texture. Much smaller loaf than expected from the chilling it. Definitely needs the salt grinder in the background.

Timeline
09:05pm: Mix Sponge
10:30pm: Sponge in Fridge
09:00am: Sprinkle Flour Mixture
11:30am: Mix Dough + Banana + Butter and let rest
11:50am: Knead dough in stand mixer
12:00pm: Transfer to rising container and let rise
12:45pm: Bread Doubled in size, gave Two Business letter turns and back into container. This seemed quite quick.
01:30pm: Bread doubled in size again. Shape dough and put to quick bread pan and place into Fridge as we wouldn’t be back from the Uptown Art Fair anytime in the near future.
05:15pm: Turn oven on and take bread out of Fridge
06:00pm: Put Bread in Oven
06:05pm: Turn oven temp down
06:15pm: Rotate Bread in Oven
06:20pm: Turn oven down again
06:30pm: Remove bread from oven and let cool.

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Ciabatta Bread, #98, P.355

Posted on August 3, 2011 by FinnKidd

First Bread in the Quest for Bread Project. This is one that I’ve been meaning to tackle for a while. For some reason, I just didn’t want to attempt the bread. But now that I have I will continue to make it as it is one of the prettiest breads I have every made. As always with the quest, the recipe is from the Bread Bible. That’s were you can get all the details on the recipe.

The bread itself is pretty simple. All Purpose flour, salt, yeast and water. The starter was a biga. A fairly compact starter that is great for breads like this that need a better gluten structure. The bread itself had less than 1.5 cups of flour in it. It’s the light airy texture that makes Ciabatta brilliant. This is also a bread that when you are shaping it, be sure to use ample flour as it stops this very sticky dough from catching and so adds that characteristic look.

caibatta_1
Getting Ready to Mix the Biga
caibatta_2
The Mixed Biga. It would triple in size over the next few hours
ciabatta_3
Mixing the dough, pre-gluten forming.
ciabatta_4
Well defined gluten
ciabatta_5
Mixed dough measuring less than 1/4 quart
ciabatta_6
I only needed a triple volume rise in this bread. . The four times size increase was nice but maybe it cut down onto later risings.
ciabatta_7
Well floured cutting board, getting ready for the sticky dough.
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This is the bottom of the bread. It gets dimples to create the wrinkled top crush.

ciabatta_9
On the Silmat ready to be placed into the oven

ciabatta_10
Propping the door open with a bottom of a wooden spoon. This helps crisp the top of the bread.
ciabatta_11
The finished product. Great tasting too. Firm Crust on top and bottom.

We cut the bread after it had fully cooled and used it as buns for lamb-burgers that evening. Only the end remains. Good Eats.

Timelime
10:30pm: Mix Biga
05:00am: Put into Fridge (The Infant slept though the night but we didn’t)
06:30am: Take Biga out of Fridge
07:30am: Mix the dough and let it triple in size. We had time to go out to the FinnishBistro and for the Infant to take his nap.
10:00am: Dough made it close to 4.5 times its size. Shape dough and let rise.
12:40pm: Dough only rose slightly after trip to Borders (Picked up Tender & The Vegetable from an Italian Garden, two moleskins, & some kids books) & Seward Co-op (CSA Box + Other goodies)
01:25pm: Bread into the Oven
01:30pm: Turn the Temp on Oven
01:40pm: Turn the Bread
01:45pm: Lifted onto the Stone
01:50pm: Oven Off, Propped door open
01:55pm: Out of the oven and cooling time

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The Quest for Bread

Posted on August 1, 2011 by FinnKidd

I have been lazy about writing in this blog. Partially because it’s concept is so loose. At the beginning I commented on how I just wanted to write about what I felt like writing about. Well I never really get around to finishing (or starting) my posts about the things I want to write about. What I need is a schedule to keep my on track. So I’ve decided to Bake my way through the Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. I’ve already made many delicious breads from the book. I want to make them all. So if I write a post about each one, I feel like I’ll actually make it though the book in a decent about of time. 150 Recipes. Hmmm. That’s would be a new recipe every 2.4 days. I don’t have that kind of bread eating power at the house right now but how about this. Finish the entire book’s recipes by the end of 2012? That gives me 517 days to complete the challenge or about one recipe every 3.5 days. Maybe I should move it to Dec, 21, 2012 seeing at the world would be ending and I don’t want to be finishing those final recipes in days that don’t exist.

Well I will have to embark on my challenge tomorrow as it is way too late to start mixing some dough.

-FinnKidd

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Blog Abandonment

Posted on May 30, 2011 by FinnKidd

I’m not abandoning this blog. I just haven’t been writing in it. Sometimes I forget that I have it. Mostly I’ve been busy with other culinary pursuits. It doesn’t help that Mel and I are sharing a computer at the moment and if we are watching Netflix, no typing I will be doing. I have been doing quite a bit of food related things in the last couple of months.

I brewed my first batch of beer for the season. Caribou Slobber. A clone kit from Northern Brewer of Big Sky’s Moose Drool. An american style brown ale. Slightly hoppy with crisp malt background. It was definitely a challenge getting it all working again. I hope to do at least 3 more batches this summer. We will see.

We planted our container garden outside the work shed. Garlic, Soybeans, Basil, Thyme, Sage, Dill, Chamomile, Chives, Cat Nip, Mint and probably a couple of others I can’t remember. Everything is doing fine expect for the Soybeans. We need to replant them. I think I went a little too deep on the first try. Sadly I am using the containers from my Hop growing last year as the roots did not survive the winter and I wasn’t looking to start another set of vines if we plan to move next year. We did learn to get our rosemary, tomato, and pepper plants in the starter dirt several weeks early than we intended. They are just coming up now. I don’t think they will mature by the end of the harvest.

Much of my free time has gone into planning a week of dinners for our trip to the lake this year. Scouring books looking for that interesting recipe to start them summer off right. Mostly looking through an old series of Williams-Sonoma of books called Grilling, Vegetable & Bread. Also How to Cook Everything contributed many recipes. The hardest part was finding dessert recipes that used the grill in a tasty way. After selecting the recipes, sizing for a group of 10 and figuring out how much of each ingredient was needed for the week. Then figuring out the time needed to prep and cooking to serve. Seems like a lot of work for a vacation but I feel if I do this right now I won’t spend so much time on vacation getting food ready and more time fishing, playing games, being outside in general. That and I enjoy doing everything I listed above.

What I am most excited for this week is the first week of our CSA membership from Featherstone Farms. Mel and I are excited for the challenge of the unknown veggies during the next 20 or so weeks. We even got the larger box because we love veggies so much. We are pretty much vegetarians just be cooking habits, not by principle. Equipped with our new salad spinner we welcome the challenge of the copious amounts of greens. Last Year the first week brought Spinach, Red Butter Lettuce, Salad Greens, Radishes, Asparagus, Rhubarb, & Cilantro.

There is much more but I feel that would just be more rambling.

Til next time
-FinnKidd

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Al’s Breakfast

Posted on March 9, 2011 by FinnKidd

If you haven’t had the pleasure to visit Al’s Breakfast in the Dinkytown Neighborhood of Minneapolis. I suggest that you get in line. Just like many University of Minnesota students have been doing since the 1950′s.  There is usually a line out of the 14 stool, 10 foot wide restaurant/former ally.

Waiting to get in before open

Part of the allure is the lines and the method in which you stand. Which is right behind the people that you want to finish so that you can have a seat to eat at.

Looking over the shoulder’s of other Patrons

A tight shot against the yellow brick you lean on

As you wait against the wall of the building the forms the southside of the restaurant, you can decide what looks good in front of you from what the others are ordering. I find that going by yourself or with one other person works best. With 3 or more you might be waiting longer that you would want or frustrate the others with the empty seats. Don’t be surprised after you are seated if you are asked to move down a couple of seats to make this problem go away. After you’re seated pick up the menu. It’s been the same for many years. Classic breakfast. After you place your order it is translated into diner speak and shouted across the space.

Three spots open up for our group of four

You order is prepared quickly with loads of flavor.It’s amazing to believe that there is usually 5 employees behind the counter keeping the machine running.

I won’t say that Al’s is about the presentation, it’s definitely about the flavor and fatty goodness.  I always get the same thing when I make the annual trip. The two egg Jose on rye. Two poached eggs with fresh salsa, cheese, hash browns & toast . Always filling. I believe that this was the first place I ever had a poached egg. The textures that the dish puts together are amazing. Gooey & crunchy plus some heat to wake you up in the morning.  I’m sure that there other great things on the menu but I go to Al’s for the Jose.

The Two Egg Jose. Yum!

I probably eat faster that I should but I want to get going so that the hungry eyes behind me can get a seat. They take cash only unless you are a regular that has a tab book down below. If you ordered mistakenly without have cash they’ll let you run across the street to get some at the ATM. Luckily I’ve only had to do that once before.

Al’s Breakfast is a once/twice a year kind of place for me. I don’t know if my body could handle it more than that. I like to go on weekends because that parking is free. Check it out and get the Jose.  Al’s has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives.

-FinnKidd

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Finally Done

Posted on March 7, 2011 by FinnKidd

So it only took me until today to finish the cosmetic repairs to the blog. It surprisingly didn’t take as long as I thought it would. I guess that my head was too blurry from Juhani and skiing to figure out just how easy of a fix it was. I coded the original site in one evening. But it took me six weeks to repair it this time. So I expect to get a few entries written soon. I have  a backlog of images and notes to write off of. Now it’s just taking the time and doing it.  Well I should probably sleep now but I will start on this again tomorrow .

-FinnKidd

P.S. I am very excited for the our Featherstone CSA to start in June and for the trip to Park Rapid in same week.

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Updating WordPress

Posted on January 25, 2011 by FinnKidd

I decided to upgrade to the newest workpress but after I did so all of my site formatting was deleted. So instead of working on a new post this evening. I guess I am going to have to figure out how to reformat my blog so that it is pretty again.

-FinnKidd

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Too Busy

Posted on December 27, 2010 by FinnKidd

Sorry but I have been too busy to write lately. My first son Juhani was born on November 13th and he’s been a handful. Two days later the high school ski team that I help coach started as well. Also it snowed enough on Juhani’s birthday to start good skiing so it’s been busy around the ski shop.

I am not done with this blog just figuring out time management with it. I will pick up writing again when I get more or a netbook. For now Juhani hopes that everyone is having a fun and tasty holiday season.

-FinnKidd

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Wet Hops

Posted on October 23, 2010 by FinnKidd

Hops are an annual plant. Their fruit provides the bittering to beer. It is one of the first plants to send shoots up in the spring. They can grow 10-30ft each year. After doing an amazing amount of growth, they start to create cones from their flowers. These cones are high in moisture when they are ready for harvest in late summer/early fall. Part of their moisture is the internal oils. If the hops are not dried, these oils can cause the cones to go bad. Since brewing is done year-round most hop cones are dried. (Then turned into pellets for better utilization.)

Not all hops are dried before they are used. This is called wet hopping or fresh hopping. To get the best hop flavor and aroma the hops have to be picked and used as close together as possible. Many of the breweries in hop growing country are using them within hours of picking. Breweries in the midwest are getting them in 2 days. The pale ale is the usual style used for wet hopped beer as the style emphasizes the aroma and flavor of hops and there is no fresher flavor or aroma than using wet hops.

Attempting to get in one last home brew prior to the baby’s arrival, I decided to brew last weekend. It had been quite sometime since my last beer and I was waffling in the styles that I wanted to do and my first year hop plants had failed to produce any cones, so I thought. They had a few of them up high on the bines (yes, bines not vines). It came to me, fresh hop beer. I harvested every hop I had but only came up with 19grams. A little over a half ounce. Not really enough to use for a whole beer. So they were placed in the aroma portion of the brew to enhance the aromas. I had my first taste of the fermented out beer today and was it ever aromatic. Strong citrus throughout the nose. Great cascade throughout.

My small harvest this season, hopefully lots more next

Most homebrewers will only use homegrown hops for this purpose because they do not know of the alpha acid content of their hops. Without knowing how bitter the hops are it is difficult to make a properly balanced beer. The pro’s get their’s tested when making their fresh hopped beers.

There are several commercial examples of fresh hopped beer including Surly Wet, Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale, and Brau Brothers Hundred Yard Dash. All of these are available for a limited amount of time. They should be consumed fast, stored in the cold and kept out of the sun. The longer you wait the more flat/oxidized they will taste.

-FinnKidd

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Cafe 318

Posted on October 21, 2010 by FinnKidd

We were in Excelsior doing some photo work for one of Mel’s clients and we were hungry. We took a cruise down water street and found that there were many fine establishments on the strip. We decided upon Cafe 318. This quaint place was just what we were looking for. The menu is short. Just one side of a standard restaurant menu. We always prefer it this way. That means that the food is fresh and they have picked to offer things that they really really love. I discovered that they do have a separate breakfast & kids menus.

Mel decided to go with the grilled cheese. They used three types of cheese plus a warmed tomato all inside of whole wheat bread. Chips or salad on the side. Mel asked for chips got the salad. Still delicious.

I went with the 3 taco deal. They have 4 distinct tacos. All with various degrees of spice and texture. Four tasty proteins as well. The most interesting combination that I got was the Chorizo, Potato, queso fresco, with a guacamole topping. Very good. My plate also had some shredded lettuce for use in the tacos if needed. I found them to be filling enough so I made a little salad for myself with it using the lime wedge as dressing. The drippings on the plate the mixed while finishing off my plate proved to be a better option. I believe this was the first time I’ve been served on a triangular plate.

The 318 cafe also offers rustic pizzas, scrumptious salads, various varied sandwiches, and unique appetizers. I know mommer’s would appreciate the White Truffle & Gruyere Popcorn. They did have our beloved Edamame as a choice too.

Their drink menu takes more paper to display. Both sides of the menu. Eighteen types of bottled beer including Deus. Not something you see on your average beer menu. Sadly they did not have anything to offer on tap. They also have 16 types of loose leaf teas. Mel and I went with the black iced tea & Arnold Palmer. Mel couldn’t resist the fresh squeezed lemonade that they were doing in the back. She got a second glass in fact (not bottomless).

The 318 is known for live music although the stage was being used for extra seating during lunch. They get acts like Tim Mahoney, Chestity Brown, Chris Trapper plus the occasional open mic nights. Reasonable covers too, $6-$12

Overall we had a great lunch. The service was quick, the chairs comfy and a we left stuffed. We even forgone the Ikea hotdog an hour later. And we love Ikea hotdogs.

Definitely recommended that you give them a try next time you are in Excelsior, Minnesota.
Cafe 318

-FinnKidd

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